I had just returned home from a rainy night of reporting and went to throw a few items in the recycle bin. I threw my shoulder into the door (it sticks sometimes), and when I tossed the plastic into the bin, I saw it.

Its red eyes were glowing and its fur was matted down as it hid between the plastic bin and the brick wall. I screamed. I might have scared everyone in the building as I slammed the door and locked it.

When my boyfriend got home I asked him to go out and get rid of the creature. It might have been a cat or a large rodent, but whatever it was, I didn't want it trying to get in the apartment. Well, my boyfriend wouldn't go outside to scare it away. Since then, I've always banged on the screen door before I open it. I don't want that creature jumping at me.

I thought we had lost the monster for good, until my boyfriend saw it earlier this week -- in the middle of the day. He opened up the door, again to throw something in the recycle bin, and he saw it coming toward him. They both froze. They looked into the others' eyes. And then my boyfriend did the same thing I did: He slammed the door and came to tell me all about it.

Now things were getting crazy. Wasn't this animal supposed to melt in the sunlight?I thought that was why it haunted us at night. Something to do with vampires, right?

Later that night, I clearly wasn't thinking. I opened the door to let in some of the warm air we had this week and there it was. The rat monster had returned.

After some thought and the calming of my nerves, I've decided it might not be so bad. We aren't allowed to have pets, but maybe it could be a guard dog of sorts? I certainly wouldn't go near one of those things -- no matter how badly I wanted to get inside.

So I've named the rat creature Bradley. And if I ever see him again, he better be doing a good job of protecting the home fort.

Side note: Did you know opossums like winter sports? Check out this video showcasing an Adams County snowboarding opossum!